Forget about a stuffy dining room, the kitchen is the modern hub for parties, drinks, or even just cosy family meals. Your stylish kitchen shouldn’t be hidden away. Showcase your space and transform it into the perfect room for entertaining friends and family.
Here are some top tips for creating a stylish, luxurious hosting space.
Open up with Open Plan
An open-plan space is by far the best for entertaining in the kitchen. You can cook or prepare drinks in the same room as your friends sit round the table. No more rushing between rooms for extra bottles or to take dessert out of the oven. An island or a breakfast bar would suffice for a light meal or cocktails, if you don’t have room in your kitchen for a full-size table.
Or move to the outside by extending your kitchen into the garden. Open your patio doors wide onto a terrace or decking and create a seamless transition between the kitchen and dining spaces. Tie the décor of the “rooms” together using the same accent colours and invest in some high quality lighting for the garden area.
Make the Table your Centrepiece
When your table is perfect, no one will notice if your kitchen is not show-home ready. Style your dining table in the kitchen to attract as much attention as possible. Try colourful rattan table mats on your rustic wood table. Or create an elegant ambience with crisp white table linens and stylish blue and white tableware.
Pick Beautiful Seating
Choose your seating with care. A striking set of dining chairs to match a centrepiece table is perfect. But you may want a more casual vibe with a set of new bar stools. Whatever you choose, consider comfort as well as style. You need spaces for everyone to relax. If you have room, a comfy sofa in the corner is perfect for the end of the night when the drinks have been flowing.
Embrace Parisian Chic
Look to classic French style for the right kitchen vibe. In Parisian homes, the kitchen is the centre of home life and the place where guests linger long into the night over cocktails and coffee. Take inspiration from French design trends and embrace cool colours and clean lines for an elegant look.
Light your Space with Style
Spotlights are a thing of the past in interior design and experts now embrace statement lighting in the kitchen to add sophistication. Eye-catching low-hanging pendants are perfect over the main table or a breakfast bar. You can also install under-cabinet lighting so you have illumination for food preparation, and for the daytime when you need to use your kitchen for more practical purposes. Try voice-controlled lighting using your home media hub so you can control the ambience without leaving the table or the conversation.
Impress with your Gadgets
Use your kitchen space to show off your up-to-date appliances and the gadgets that make your life easier. Your technology that connects appliances to the web will provide an excellent conversation topic if you get stuck.